NY-NJ TDU

December 22, 2009: After years of sell-out contracts and benefit cuts, members of New York Local 814 have voted for a new direction and a reform slate in their local union election.

Jason Ide (center) and Richie Johnson (third from right) headed the 814 New Directions Slate.Members elected Jason Ide and the New Directions Slate by a whopping 72 percent in big turnout among the local’s 1,000 members. The new team will take office on January 1.They inherit huge problems and major challenges.

The local’s previous leadership negotiated a series of concessionary contracts that allowed employers to hire tiers of low-wage employees who got no pension or welfare contributions.

Over time, both benefit funds went into the tank. Fund trustees adopted a plan that will freeze members’ pension accrual. In one of his last acts as Local 814 President, George Daniello approved healthcare cuts that eliminated members prescription, dental and vision benefits altogether.

Rebuilding the funds and members’ benefits will be a top issue in upcoming contract negotiations covering more than 800 Local 814 members in the moving and storage industry.

“In the past, Local 814 officials bargained concessions and then used the strike as weapon to bully the membership into accepting givebacks. That strategy is out the door,” Ide said. “We’re going to mobilize the membership and be prepared to win gains. With the state of our contract and our benefits, we’ve really got no other choice.”

Winning wage increases that close the gap between higher and lower paid members is another contract goal—gains that Ide and other New Directions leaders won in a successful contract campaign they organized at Sotheby’s last year.

Policing the Contract

The new Local 814 officers are also gearing up to increase contract enforcement.

“We’re creating a task force of members to go out and police jobs,” said Richie Johnson, the new Local 814 secretary-treasurer. “We’ve got to enforce one-to-one ratio so our members are being put to work and employers are funding our benefits the way they’re supposed to.”

To pay for the new programs, the New Directions leadership is cutting officer salaries.

The cuts will free up resources to periodically pay members to come off the job to work for the local on organizing drives and contract enforcement campaigns—but given the local’s finances even that will be limited.

“This is going to be a team effort,” Johnson said.

Walter Taylor“We’ve got new generals, but every war is won by the soldiers. We’ve got to build a fighting, rank-and-file army if we want to win,” said Walter Taylor, a member of the TDU International Steering Committee and a Local 814 member.

Taylor helped organize a series of rank-and-file campaigns to vote down bad contracts that defeated some of the concessions pushed by employers and the former officials of Local 814.

“Finally change has come and members have a chance to fight for our future. The old officials locked us out of our own union,” Taylor said. “We have big problems, but now we have hope.”

This story is the third in a series on TDU.org. Click here to read about other Teamsters Who Made a Difference in 2009.

You can help TDU members keep making a difference in 2010. Click here to join TDU and support our work.

December 7, 2009: UPS Teamsters in New York have elected a reform team to lead Local 804, one of the most powerful Teamster locals in the country.

In record turnout, the 804 Members United Slate swept their local union election with 68 percent of the vote.

Local 804 represents 7,000 Teamsters in metro New York—most of them at UPS.

“This is a tremendous victory for Teamsters who believe we can stand up to big companies and the old guard and take back our union,” said Jim Reynolds, the newly-elected Secretary-Treasurer of Local 804 and a long-time TDU leader.

“Local 804 members have proven with their courage and their action that when Teamsters go from anger to hope—and from hope to action—there’s nothing we can’t do,” Reynolds said.

The election victory capped a grassroots campaign that began in 2007 when Local 804 leaders mobilized the membership to reject a concessionary UPS contract by a three to one vote.

UPS was forced to put a better offer on the table—one that reversed a 30 percent pension cut, stopped a proposed 10 cent wage cut, and saved 25 & Out for every Local 804 member.

“I’m usually not involved, but what 804 Members United has done is so unbelievable that I had to participate and support them,” said Ricardo Silva, an inside worker at UPS’s 43rd St. building in Manhattan.

“The contract victory gave us hope that we could bring change to our local,” said Ken Reiman, a newly elected business agent who was also recently elected to the TDU International Steering Committee. “We saw that members were more willing to stand up to UPS than our local officials were. It was clear it was time for a new direction.”

The newly elected leadership team faces big challenges. The Pension Fund has lost $183 million and is less than 50 percent funded. The outgoing local leadership also depleted the Health Fund’s reserves.

“We’re not going to be able to fix all the problems overnight,” said President-Elect Tim Sylvester. “We’ve laid out ten changes we’ll make to rebuild our union’s power. We’re committed to implementing that reform program and tapping the power of an informed and organized membership.”

The new leadership’s goals include increased contract enforcement and the launching of a Teamster University with educational programs for stewards and members.

To pay for these initiatives, the new officers will cut their salaries by $35,000 each and eliminate 401K contributions for officers.

“We’re going to put the dues to work for the members,” said Vice President-elect Pete Mastrandrea.

“This was and will become again a strong union. It’s not all about the officers, it’s about us,” said package car driver Jairo Reyes. “I know from this slate we will find the support, the backbone that we need. There’s a lot of jellyfish out there. So we need to be the backbone.”

“Local 804 members have proven with their courage and their action that when Teamsters go from anger to hope—and from hope to action—there’s nothing we can’t do.”

December 7, 2009: After years of sell-out contracts and benefit cuts, members of New York Local 814 have voted for a new direction and a reform slate in their local union election.

Members voted 72 percent to elect the 814 New Leadership Slate, headed by Jason Ide (center) and Richie Johnson (third from right).Members elected Jason Ide and the New Directions Slate by a whopping 72 percent in big turnout among the local’s 1,000 members. The new team will take office on January 1.They inherit huge problems and major challenges.

The local’s previous leadership negotiated a series of concessionary contracts that allowed employers to hire tiers of low-wage employees who got no pension or welfare contributions.

Over time, both benefit funds went into the tank. Fund trustees adopted a plan that will freeze members’ pension accrual. In one of his last acts as Local 814 President, George Daniello approved healthcare cuts that eliminated members prescription, dental and vision benefits altogether.

Rebuilding the funds and members’ benefits will be a top issue in upcoming contract negotiations covering more than 800 Local 814 members in the moving and storage industry.

“In the past, Local 814 officials bargained concessions and then used the strike as weapon to bully the membership into accepting givebacks. That strategy is out the door,” Ide said. “We’re going to mobilize the membership and be prepared to win gains. With the state of our contract and our benefits, we’ve really got no other choice.”

Winning wage increases that close the gap between higher and lower paid members is another contract goal—gains that Ide and other New Directions leaders won in a successful contract campaign they organized at Sotheby’s last year.

Policing the Contract

The new Local 814 officers are also gearing up to increase contract enforcement.

“We’re creating a task force of members to go out and police jobs,” said Richie Johnson, the new Local 814 secretary-treasurer. “We’ve got to enforce one-to-one ratio so our members are being put to work and employers are funding our benefits the way they’re supposed to.”

To pay for the new programs, the New Directions leadership is cutting officer salaries.

The cuts will free up resources to periodically pay members to come off the job to work for the local on organizing drives and contract enforcement campaigns—but given the local’s finances even that will be limited.

“This is going to be a team effort,” Johnson said.

“We’ve got new generals, but every war is won by the soldiers. We’ve got to build a fighting, rank-and-file army if we want to win,” said Walter Taylor, a member of the TDU International Steering Committee and a Local 814 member.

Taylor helped organize a series of rank-and-file campaigns to vote down bad contracts that defeated some of the concessions pushed by employers and the former officials of Local 814.

“Finally change has come and members have a chance to fight for our future. The old officials locked us out of our own union,” Taylor said. “We have big problems, but now we have hope.”

December 3, 2009: UPS Teamsters in New York have elected a reform team to lead Local 804—one of the most powerful Teamster locals in the country. In record turnout, the 804 Members United Slate swept their local union election with 68 percent of the vote.

Local 804 represents 7,000 Teamsters in metro New York—most of them employed at UPS.

“This is a tremendous victory for Teamsters who believe we can stand up to big companies and the old guard and take back our union,” said Jim Reynolds, the newly-elected Secretary-Treasurer of Local 804 and a long-time TDU leader.

“Local 804 members have proven with their courage and their action that when Teamsters go from anger to hope—and from hope to action—there’s nothing we can’t do,” Reynolds said.

The election victory capped a grassroots campaign that began when Local 804 leaders mobilized the membership to reject the UPS contract by nearly three to one.

UPS was forced to put a better offer on the table—one that reversed a 30 percent pension cut, stopped a proposed 10 cent wage cut, and saved 25 & Out for every Local 804 member.

“That gave us hope that we could win change,” said Ken Reiman, a newly elected business agent. “We saw that members were more willing to stand up to UPS than our local officials were. It was clear it was time for a new direction.”

804 Members United was born.

On January 1, the new leadership team will take office and the real work will begin.

“We laid out ten changes we’ll make to build a stronger Local 804,” said President-Elect Tim Sylvester. “We’re not going to be able to fix all the problems overnight. But we’re committed to implementing a reform program and tapping the power of an informed and organized membership.”

November 25, 2009: Local 805 President and TDU leader Sandy Pope was honored this week as a New York City local hero that makes a difference.

To celebrate Thanksgiving, Tom Robbins, the labor columnist for the Village Voice in New York City, published a Thanksgiving Honor Roll, lauding “the oft-overlooked people in a city of celebrity.”

Pope’s entry, “Not Your Average Teamster leader” is reprinted here.

Photo: Jesse ReedNot Your Average Teamster Leader

By Tom Robbins

Sandy Pope is not your average Teamsters leader. A woman heading a blue-collar union local, she also holds a martial arts black belt. But her most important trait is a dedication to union democracy and organizing.

A former truck driver from Cleveland, Pope became the head of Local 805 in Queens in 1999, one of many Teamsters locals that had long been little more than playthings for the mob and its favored employers.

She ended lingering corrupt practices and had the 1,200 members—mostly warehouse, supply, and cafeteria workers—elect their own stewards. She won better contracts and also did what most union leaders are too fearful or too sluggish to attempt: She organized, winning elections at several vending shops.

She also targeted Fresh Direct, the big gourmet food company that boasts of community dedication but has resisted demands for higher pay for its workforce. The first Teamsters push was derailed when immigration agents raided the company's food-prep plant.

Pope says a new drive will begin next month: "Workers there keep asking us when we're coming back. Well, we're coming back."

November 3, 2009: Commercial mover Walter Taylor has been fighting for a stronger Local 814 since 1987. His efforts bore fruit in their 2009 election when Local 814 voted 72% for new leadership.

TDU interviewed Walter about how they made it happen.

How did you get involved?

I didn’t choose activism. I guess you could say activism chose me.

I got my union card in 1987. The first company I worked for started adding people to the seniority list.

There was a list of 32 names—and my name wasn’t there. I had been working there for a lot longer than other guys. Apparently the foreman decided to only put white guys on the list.

I called the shop steward. He filed a grievance. Then he called me and said I won. But I was put on the bottom of the list.

I filed another grievance. They kept telling me “these things take time.” After a while, my time ran out. I had to learn the hard way that you can’t always trust your union officials.

The problem hasn't gone away. There's one employer I worked for all the time. But when I helped members get on the seniority list there, they stopped giving me work and they cut off another friend of mine who also just happens to be African American at exactly the same time. Unfortunately racism still plays a factor in this industry.

How did you hear about Teamsters for a Democratic Union?

Years ago, a slate formed to run against Bobbie Corbett, the head of the union at the time. I helped out. The slate didn’t win, but one of the older guys told me: “If you ever need any help, just call TDU.”

A few years later, our local came to us with a Moving and Storage contract full of concessions. We came to TDU for help.

TDU helped us put together a contract campaign. We passed out flyers explaining the problems with the contract. Members voted No and the local put us out on strike.

We asked the local what the plan was to win. The local told us: “You’re the guys out on strike. We’re still working.” There was no plan at all. So we turned to TDU again.

TDU helped us get organized. We organized a phone tree and shut down 26 shops in 2 days. We avoided a lot of the worst concessions. After I saw TDU in action, I became a member.

TDU members worked together to organize another Vote No campaign against contract concessions in 2005. It was the worst contract ever—a five year deal. That’s the contract we’re under now. It was clear after that they we needed to get new leadership.

I ran three years ago for the top spot in the local. We didn’t win. But we had a respectable showing. And we learned a lot about how to run a campaign.

This is a big victory. How did it happen?

I was sold on running Jason Ide from the get-go. He was my pick because he ran the first successful contract campaign in Local 814.

I knew it would take support from a lot of guys. So I reached out to other companies for support. Our contract is up next year. Members were ready for change and a new direction.

We put together a good team. Jason was a great top candidate. They took the ball and ran with it. We built up our phone list. We got pictures of members to endorse our slate. We sent out mailers. We got a lot of good advice from TDU.

What would you say to other Black Teamsters who want to be leaders like you in our union?

Local 814 always operated like a club. It was all about who you knew.

If you’re going to survive that and change it, you can’t do it alone. You need other people who will fight with you. I got that from TDU.

It’s easy to get lost, easy to get frustrated. It took me 22 years of fighting. I could have walked away any time. But I was stubborn.

Now I want our union to be an example of how it’s really supposed to be done. We’re going to include the members, and let everyone have a voice.

October 30, 2009: After years of sell-out contracts and benefit cuts, members of New York Local 814 voted by 73% to elect Jason Ide and the New Directions Slate.

New Directions told members that “it’s time to get back to negotiating strong contracts and enforcing them.," and the overwhelming vote showed that the commercial movers of Local 814 agreed.

Jason Ide, the president-elect, works at Sotheby’s art auction house, where he was instrumental in leading a campaign for a good contract, using ideas and tactics learned in TDU workshops. “Now the hard work begins,” Ide told us about the election victory.

Walter Taylor, a member of the TDU International Steering Committee and a long-time Local 814 member said that “Finally change has come, and members can be active participants in our own union. We have big problems, but now we have hope.”

New Directions swept all positions in a big turnout among the 1,000 members. The new team will take office on Jan. 1.

Want to find out more about how they did it? Jason Ide will be speaking at the workshop on Running for Local Union Office at the TDU Convention, Nov. 6-8 at the Cleveland Airport Sheraton. Click here to register.

July 21, 2009: The Local 804 Members United Slate is running to restore the pride and power in New York Teamsters Local 804 the home of Ron Carey and one of the largest and most powerful UPS locals in the country.

Tim Sylvester, 804 Members United Slate presidential candidate, talks with Local 804 Teamsters at UPSIn the last two years, Local 804 members have been hit with pension cuts, healthcare hikes and a concessionary contract—all while UPS was making record profits.

The Local 804 Members United Slate is running to move their union in a new direction.

“Local 804 used to stand up to UPS management, bargain strong contracts and protect our benefits. We can be that kind of union again,” said Tim Sylvester, a Local 804 shop steward and the presidential candidate on the 804 Members United Slate.

Ballots won’t go out in Local 804 until November, but candidates are already out on the campaign trail.

In the first two weeks of the campaign, slate members hit the gates at UPS hubs from Long Island to New York City to the suburbs up north to talk to members. The slate has also launched an online survey to hear from members about their concerns.

“We will run a positive campaign on the issues,” said Pete Mastrandrea, a feeder driver and the 804 Members United Slate’s candidate for Vice President.

“We’re going to lay out a positive program for what we’re going to do to beef up representation and contract enforcement and rebuild Local 804’s power,” Mastrandrea said.

April 10, 2009: New Jersey Local 177 bargained groundbreaking contract language on supervisors working in the new contract.

Now that language is being put to the test.

Representing more than 8,000 Teamsters in New Jersey, Local 177 is one of the largest and most powerful UPS locals in the Eastern Region.

Local 177 is one of a handful of large locals with its own supplement to the UPS national contract. In the last bargaining round, the local used its clout to negotiate new supplemental language that imposes stiffer penalties for supervisors working than the national contract.

Now the local is headed to arbitration on cases that will put this language to the test.

Under the Local 177 Supplement, UPS has to pay two times the hourly rate for the actual time worked by the supervisor. This is the same language as the national contract.

Tougher Penalties

But the Local 177 Supplement imposes stiffer penalties on subsequent violations. The second time the same supervisor is caught doing bargaining unit work, the contract imposes a penalty of double-time pay for a minimum of two-hours—or the actual hours worked, whichever is greater.

The third time that the same supervisor is caught working, the minimum double-time pay penalty is increased to four hours at double time—or the actual hours worked, whichever is greater.

Documenting Violations

Local 177 stewards, members and business agents have worked together for months to document supervisors working violations. Business agents even have photos of repeat violators—which will make it pretty difficult for the company to deny the violations.

To protect members from discipline, only local union staff photograph violations.

The local has a number of arbitrations coming up, each one targeting multiple violations by individual supervisors. Focusing on individual supervisors will enable the local to use the 2-hour and 4-hour minimum double-time penalties negotiated in the supplement.

April 10, 2009: More than 50 Local 804 members turned out for a day-long educational seminar sponsored by 804 Members United.

The conference focused on the problems UPSers are facing at work and what members and our union can do about them.

“This is exactly the kind of thing our local should be doing,” said feeder driver Neil O’Brien. “Sharing information, building unity and making plans to build union power. That’s what it’s all about.”

Local 804 represents over 7,000 UPS Teamsters in New York City, Westchester County, and Long Island. Drivers packed a workshop on Working Safe and Working Smart.

“Management is cracking down on drivers, riding guys. We talked about what drivers can do to protect themselves,” said shop steward Chris Sabatino.

In another workshop, inside employees talked about the epidemic of supervisors working and strategies that other Teamster locals are using to stop the violations and make UPS pay.

Another hot topic was the elimination of the full-time combo jobs—across the country and in Local 804. Members made plans to participate in a national petition drive to make UPS create all 20,000 full-time jobs that the membership is owed under the contract.

Building a Movement For Change

This year is an election year in Local 804. Teamsters at the Education Conference made it clear that the membership is ready for change.

Shop steward Tim Sylvester told the crowd, “804 Members United will be putting forward a leadership team that can lead this local, strengthen representation and unite members to defend our contracts and benefits.

“The slate will answer to a reform platform and will work hand in-hand with a rank-and-file network of members from every building and classification in the local,” Sylvester said.

That network has been building since the members voted down the last contract.

Upholding a Proud Tradition

Local 804 has a proud history of being one of the strongest locals in our union, and the home of Ron Carey, the first democratically-elected Teamster president.

Carey’s son, Dan Carey, addressed the Education Conference and congratulated members on keeping his father’s fighting spirit alive in the local.

Local 804 Members United brought members together to vote down a concessionary UPS contract and save 25-and-out pensions for new employees.

“804 Members United is about more than a slate. We are about building a rank-and-file movement for a stronger union. And we want every member to be a part of it,” said Jim Reynolds.

Doug Corbett, a package steward from 43rd Street, was one of dozens of members who filled out volunteer forms at the Education Conference. “If you want change, you’ve got to get involved,” Corbett said.

I am TDU

"TDU unites workers to take on corporate greed. Together, we're taking on corrupting and contract givebacks and fighting for a better future. A strong union involves everyone. That's what TDU is all about."